Eritrean campaigning for Melbourne state seat

Dr. Berhan Ahmed

About 2,000 Eritreans live in Australia, many of them granted asylum after being tortured by President Isaias Afewerki's regime. Despite the emotional and sometimes physical scars they bear, some have become prominent figures in Australian society. Berhan Ahmed is one of them. He is the first person of African descent to run for a seat in parliament.

The relaxed scene in the back garden of Ahmed's family home in a quiet suburb of Melbourne couldn't be further from the conflict he fled to come to Australia.
He remembers "big fighter planes from Russia" bombing his home town.
"I left at the age of about 15," Ahmed recalls. "I did my Grade 11 and 12 in Sudan at the refugee camp. The
UN was offering scholarships for refugees and I was given scholarship to study in Alexandria University, to study agricultural science."
He applied to work on trams. "I lied to them, to be honest. I said I was working as a tram conductor in Sudan. So, from then, I started to study and I did my masters at La Trobe University in animal science, got myself to Melbourne University, did my PhD and then I got a job at Melbourne University and that's where I am, still."

Dr. Berhan Ahmed's Amharic translated campaign  flyer

Ahmed says his early days in Melbourne were a struggle. But it was this period that motivated him to stand up for his community, as well as other minority groups in Australia, against what he sees as racial discrimination.
It didn't take long before he began to be noticed within Australian society and state politics.
In 2004, he was the first African-born Australian to run for parliamentary office. And in 2009, he was awarded the Victorian Australian of the Year Award in recognition of his humanitarian efforts.
"I keep putting myself at the national debate of all issues, as a Muslim, as an African, as a migrant and as a black man," Ahmed says. "I would like to stand as an independent. Issues that affect my background, my community and broader society, including the Aborigines, which is an injustice. It's always seen within the prism of the white man. Now, we need to see it differently."
Customers at a bakery specialising in bread from the Horn of Africa have warm words for Berhan Ahmed.
"He is a uniting figure," says one. "A uniting figure and symbol of Africa; a voice for the voiceless."
"He's a passionate person that would like to work or give his time for African issues,"  says another.
Ahmed plans to reach out to his people in Eritrea as well.
"Looking into the challenges facing Eritreans, particularly the refugees being a market for body organs everywhere, I'm proposing by end of 2013 or early 2014 to organise an international conference addressing an Eritrean and international solution," he says.

Eritreans - the next Columbians

Eritrean cycling team in La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2013

“They’re the next Columbians.” Those prophetic words, uttered earlier this year by none other than five time Tour de France winner Bernaud Hinault, were in reference to a promising performance by the Eritrean national team at January’s Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon.
The statement came after stage four of the seven day event when the six man squad from Eritrea not only led the African teams’ classification but also had five of its riders in the top twenty overall.
The young team (all were born in the 1990s) faded towards the end of the race but Hinault’s words were out there providing food for thought to all who follow cycling.
Many readers had their say, coming up with theories ranging from racism to genetics and everything in between, but popular opinion seemed to be the lack of opportunity and role models.
It seems the wheel is turning.

Natnael Berhane Presidental Cycling Tour of Turkey 2013

Earlier this week Natnael Berhane, an Eritrean neo-pro riding for team Europcar, claimed stage three of the Presidential Tour of Turkey, becoming the first black African to win a HC level race.
Riding strongly to join a breakaway of four other riders with just three kilometres to go, Berhane attacked in the last few hundred metres to beat Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana) and Mustafa Sayar (Tarku Sekerspor) by six seconds.
This victory, won on the Queen stage of the Tour and with a mountain top finish, was Berhane’s first win outside of Africa. It was enough to propel him to the top of the general classification, a position he stands a good chance of holding.
Within Africa his record speaks for itself. He is an overall winner of the Tours of Eritrea and Algeria, has come second at the Tour of Rwanda, has won stages in each of those races and also the Tropicale Amissa Bongo and has twice won the African road championship.
 He is an accomplished cyclist and at just 22 years of age has the world before him. He dreams of one day riding the Tour de France and idolises team mates Thomas Voeckler and Pierre Rolland who he sees as perfect riders to model himself on.

Daniel Teklehaimanot,Presidental Cycling Tour of Turkey 2012

He follows in the footsteps of compatriot Daniel Teklehaimanot who made his WorldTour debut last year with Orica-GreenEdge. Teklehaimanot also made his Grand Tour debut last year, securing a ride in the Vuelta a Espana. Berhane hopes that his day will come just as quickly.
Both riders were members of the World Cycling Centre, an initiative set up by the UCI to develop and nurture young riders, especially those from poorer nations with limited cycling infrastructure. It assists its students with training programs, tactical knowledge, nutrition, language lessons and medical testing and provides a means for riders to gain valuable experience.
Most importantly it provides opportunity, that all important element for riders from disadvantaged backgrounds.
But don’t think that the story ends with Teklehaimanot and Berhane. They may be the first, but they won’t be the last.

Merhawi Kudus , Tour of Rwanda 2012

Already a third Eritrean is attracting attention. 18 year old Merhawi Kudus was a stage winner of the UCI rated Tour of Rwanda last November in what was only his first UCI registered event. He claimed his win in a similar fashion to Berhane, by attacking on the final climb, and hopes to following in the footsteps of his two WorldTour countrymen.
Along with Teklehaimanot and Berhane, there are three other professional cyclists hailing from Eritrea. Meron Russom, Jani Tewelse and Ferekalsi Debesay all ride for second tier team MTN-Qhubeka – a South African squad that is making its own inroads into the Eurocentric world of cycling.
With an increasing number of role models to follow and opportunities opening up, this trickle of African talent into the cycling gene pool could soon become a torrent.
It will take time, but Daniel Teklehaimanot and Natnael Berhane may become the African versions of Phil Anderson. While Phil paved the way to Europe for a generation of Australian talent, so to could Teklehaimanot and Berhane become the African pioneers.
Couple this with the growing recognition of races such as the Tours of Rwanda, Eritrea and Burkina Faso and an African emergence might not be the pipe dream that it first appears to be.
Perhaps they really will be the ‘next Colombians.’   

A historic day with the victory of Eritrean Natnael Berhane

Natnael Berhane (Team Europcar) celebrates his victory in stage 3 at the Tour of Turkey.

Natnael Berhane (Team Europcar) won the Tour of Turkey stage 3 mountain finish to Elmali with a powerful surge to the line after leading the attack that decided the queen stage of the race. The Eritrean rider beat Kevin Seeldraeyers (Astana) and Mustafa Sayar (Torku Sekerspor) by six seconds. He is also the new race leader of the eight-stage race.
Berhane is the current African road race and time trial champion, but this was his first victory outside of Africa. Today's win made him the first black African cyclist to win at the HC level.
"This is enormous," Berhane said. "It was a very big stage. I didn't expect to win because I didn't know how well I could climb up here. This is my first year as a pro and my first participation to the Tour of Turkey. It was my dream to win such a race, that's why I was in tears when I crossed the line. It was the best stage to win here!"
Berhane made the most of the strong ride of his teammate Björn Thurau, who got away after 30km of racing along with Clément Koretzky (Bretagne-Séché), Jaroslaw Marycz (CCC Polsat), Mauro Finetto (Vini Fantini) and Sergey Grechyn (Torku Seker Spor). The group was later reinforced by US national champion Tim Duggan (Saxo-Tinkoff), who was returning to competition with determination after a major injury he sustained at the Santos Tour Down Under in January. He led the way up the Saksaganlibeli climb dedicated to former Turkish Olympic rider Rifat Caliskan.
In the long stretch toward Elmali, only Thurau, Finetto and Grechyn were left to tackle the final climb in the

Stage 3 podium (L-R): Mustafa Sayar  3rd; Natnael Berhane 1st; Kevin Seeldraeyers  2nd

front. While Grechyn deservedly took the last intermediate sprint of the stage in Elmali after spending all day at the front, Berhane's teammate Thurau was by far the busiest of the three escapees as they approached the climb with a 1:40 lead over the chasing pack, led by team Bretagne-Séché.
With 11km to go, Thurau, tired of being the only pacesetter, moved and left Finetto and Grechyn to make their way. But the son of former champion Dietrich Thurau, who won the 1979 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, could only keep a 20-second lead over the bunch, at this time led by the riders of the other Breton team, Sojasun.
The gap melted in the sun with each turn, and the break ended seven kilometres from the line. Serge Pauwels (Omega Pharma-Quick Step) was next to attack, and he was followed by Seeldrayers and Berhane.
On the national holiday dedicated to all the children of the world 93 years after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk created the Parliament and therefore the Turkish democracy, Turkey got very enthusiastic about Sayar, who made the break, doing most of the work in an effort to avoid being caught by the chasers, among which Australia's Cameron Meyer (Orica-GreenEdge) looked strong.
"Today, I felt good from the start," Sayar said. "We are three climbers in the team, and I told Andrey Mizourov and David De La Fuente that they could work for me. I'm not fast enough for sprinting, so it's no surprise that I got beat for the stage win but finishing third up here is really good for me. It's my career's best result so far."
Berhane showed strength and elegance in the steep finale while Seeldrayers said, "It's no shame to lose against such a strong rider. I didn't expect the last three kilometres to be so hard. Now I believe Berhane will win the overall. Where could we attack him? We'll use every possibility."
"To win such a stage is wonderful," said Behane. "Europcar is a big team, and I hope to become a rider like Thomas Voeckler or Pierre Rolland. I was looking at these guys on TV and today, even in Africa, people have been able to see me win on TV."
One month after the stage win of his former friend from the UCI World Cycling Center, Ethiopia's Tsgabu Grmay at the Tour de Taiwan, Berhane confirmed that cyclists from all continents can realistically hope for major success.
 

Eritrean boats shot fire at Yemeni fishermen

Eritrean boats pursued Yemeni fishermen inside Yemen's terrestrial water, shot fire at them and seized four Yemeni boats, a website of the Yemeni Interior Ministry said.  

The website said that the Eritrean navy entered the Yemeni territorial water, pointing out that two fishermen were rescued by Yemeni fishing boats after their boat was shot by Eritrean forces.  

The Eritrean authorities have confiscated during the past three months more than 100 Yemeni fishing boats in the international territorial water and took them to Fatima Island.

Chairman of the General Fishery Association in al-Hodeidah Omar Ebrahim said that about 700 Yemeni fishermen were on these boats, pointing out that some fishermen were released and some others are still detained.

Al-Jonaid stressed that there are some other boats were not reported about, blaming the Yemeni authorities for silence about such violations committed by Eretria.

Eritrean scientist convert DVD drive into blood analysis machine

Aman Russom Associate Professor : KTH

Aman Russom is an Associate Professor and senior lecturer of the
School of Biotechnology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in
Stockholm. He was born 1976 in Asmara, Eritrea. He received his M.
Sc. degree in Chemical Engineer with emphasis on Biotechnology in 2000
and his PhD in 2005 from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden. Dr
Russom then did his postdoc fellowship at Harvard Medical School between
2005-2008. In 2008 he returned back to Sweden, where he is
currently heading the clinical microfluidics Lab, currently consisting
of four PhD students and two postdocs, at the division of Proteomics and
Nanobiotechnology at KTH. His current research is focused on applying
engineering principles and technologies, especially micro-and
nanotechnology, to clinical medicine.
 Professor Russom and a team of scientists from the School of Biotechnology at KTH in Stockholm modified a DVD player to perform blood tests, including a check for HIV. The scientist and his research team converted a commercial DVD drive into a laser scanning microscope that can analyse blood and perform cellular imaging with one-micrometre resolution.

The breakthrough creates the possibility of an inexpensive and simple-to-use tool that could have far-reaching benefits in health care in developing countries such as Eritrea. His innovation into laser-scanning microscopy technique has been featured by the journal Nature Photonics, The Royal Society of Chemistry Journal and the Wall Street Journal this month.

“With an ordinary DVD player, we have created a cheap analytical tool for DNA, RNA, proteins and even entire cells,” says Russom. “The so-called “Lab-on-DVD” technology makes it possible to complete an HIV test in just a few minutes.”

In a proof of concept demonstration, the researchers collected cell-type CD4 + from blood and visualized it using the DVD reader technology, DVD LSM. Enumeration of these cells using flow cytometry is now standard in HIV testing, but the practice has been limited in developing countries. Russom says DVD-based technology will provide an attractive option in places like Africa and Asia.

The Lab-on-DVD reaps 30 years of research and development on optical storage technology to create an alternative to flow cytometry, the standard equipment for hospitals. Flow cytometry units can cost upwards of USD 30,000, excluding maintenance. By contrast, mass-produced Lab-on-DVD units could be made available for less than USD 200, Russom says.

“The low cost of the technology makes it suitable as a diagnostic and analytical tool in clinical practice close to the patient,” Russom says. “And because it delivers extremely fast analysis, the patient does not need to go home and wait for a response. They can get it right on the first visit to a doctor.”

The researchers are now working on extending the system to handle larger sample volumes so that low- concentration species such as circulating tumour cells can be analyzed or cancer detected. 

“Primary tumors sheds cells into the blood stream, a process called metastasis, and these circulating tumor cells in the blood end up spreading to other organs and grow. These secondary tumor sites are responsible for over 90% of cancer related death – meaning it is not the primary tumor that end up killing but the ones spread through the blood stream.”, says Russom. “In general, the earlier one detect cancer the better patient outcome. Hence, early detection of the so called “circulating tumor cells”, is expected to have huge impact on treatment of patients in the future.”

Since Russom’s DVD scanner has single cell image resolution, it is possible to detect a cancer cell in the background of billions other cells with his technology as long as you immobilize it on the surface of the DVD .

Eritrean Air Force pilot defected to Saudia Arabia

captain Rahwa Gebrekristos

captain Rahwa Gebrekristos military pilot sent by Eritrea to Saudi Arabia  to reclaim a jet stolen by two fellow officers when they flew to seek asylum has herself defected, Saudi media has reported.The pilot, who holds the rank of captain, told the authorities in Jizan province she did not wish to return to the east African country, a single-party state with no independent media and up to 10,000 political prisoners, Arab News reported.
The jet has been in Saudi Arabia since October, when it was diverted to the kingdom by its two officers who wanted to seek asylum, the newspaper said on Monday.
"She came to the kingdom two weeks ago to retrieve the military plane," Ali Za'le, a spokesman for Jizan governorate, was quoted as saying. "When she reached Jizan, she expressed her wish to stay here… her request is still being considered by the authorities."
Diplomats at Eritrea's embassy in Riyadh were not available to comment on the report.
Arab News said the pilot's father lived in Saudi Arabia.
Mass defections are common in Eritrea, considered one of the world's most reclusive states where dissent is dealt with harshly. Thousands of Eritreans flee the country each year, escaping unlimited conscription and poverty in the Red Sea state, aid agencies say.
Last year, 14 Eritrean footballers from the national soccer squad sought asylum in Uganda a year after 13 members of a club disappeared while participating in a regional tournament.
The UN refugee agency says more than 250,000 Eritrean refugees and nearly 15,000 asylum seekers live across the Horn of Africa.
Eritrea has a population of about 5.5 million. Earlier this year, dissident soldiers with tanks briefly took over the information ministry in Asmara, demanding that all political prisoners be freed.
Calm soon returned to the capital but Eritrean opposition activists in neighbouring Ethiopia cite growing dissent within the army over economic hardships.

Eritrean regime refused UN Special Rapporteur's entry

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea said authorities in Asmara have refused her entry into the country to asses the human rights situation in one of the world’s most repressive nation.
Speaking at the 53rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, Gambia, Beedwantee Keetharuth said this week that the Eritrean government have failed to cooperate as required by the UN Human Rights Council.

Ms. Beedwantee Keetharuth, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea

As a result she said she would be forced to undertake her mission - assessing the human rights situation in Eritrea - by talking to refugees in neighbouring countries.
“In the meantime, I will engage with all others concerned by human rights in Eritrea, including those who consider themselves to be victims of alleged human rights violations, human rights defenders and other civil society actors,” she said.
It is to be recalled that the Eritrean government immediately rejected the appointment of the UN Special Rapporteur by the UN Human Rights Council last July.
In a statement the Eritrean government said it won’t accept the mandate, describing her appointment as politically motivated.
Eritrea’s regional rival Ethiopia, however, has welcomed the appointment then and called upon its neighbour to comply with the resolutions of the Human Rights Council.
The UN Special Rapporteur to Eritrea is mandated to investigate the situation of human rights in Eritrea as the regime of the reclusive nation allegedly continues to commit widespread and gross human right violations.
The Special Rapporteur will present her first report on the human rights situation in Eritrea to the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly in June 2013.
Keetharuth called on the Eritrean government to “consider the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as an opportunity to start a fresh and constructive dialogue on human rights issues that have been raised by the international community and other stakeholders”.

Eritrean foreign minister holds talks with Egyptian president

Eritrean foreign minister Osman Saleh and the Eritrean presidential adviser for political affairs, Yamani Jabr met with President Mohamed Morsi and Foreign Minister Mohamed Amr ,in Cairo on Monday to boost bilateral relations between the countries and discuss a number of regional and international issues.
According to foreign ministry spokesperson Amr Roshdy, the two dignitaries addressed the growing problem of trafficking in African refugees through Egyptian territories. For the last two years, refugees and asylum-seekers, most of them Eritrean, have been kidnapped from refugee camps in Sudan and transported to the Sinai desert where they are held for ransom by Bedouin gangs, according to a recent Amnesty International report.
In the report, Amnesty International called on all the countries along the trafficking route to crack down on kidnappings and abuses and to increase their engagement with international agencies to protect the safety of refugees. In Monday’s meeting, Amr stressed the need to increase awareness of this issue and the harm it causes to African refugees.
They also agreed to establish a plan headed by both foreign ministers to increase political communication between the two countries, to strengthen Egypt’s relationship with Eritrea and the rest of the African continent, and to increase Egypt’s involvement in a variety of development projects in the Nile Basin countries, Roshdy said.
Amr also confirmed Egypt’s desire to promote trade with Eritrea, especially once the planned land bridge between Sudan and Egypt has been established.

The evil of human trafficking in Sinai

It was in the Sinai desert that the nation of Israel received God's law. Consequently we tend to think of the Sinai as a place of law-giving. Today, however, under Egyptian control, the Sinai (particularly the north-east) is absolutely lawless -- a place of law-breaking. Not only has al-Qaeda established a presence, but Bedouin criminal gangs and human traffickers operate with impunity.

The Egyptian government knows that the clusters of concrete buildings dotting the Sinai desert are being used as torture chambers by human traffickers. The traffickers relay their victims' agony to family members

Eritrean Refugees in the Shagarab camp

or diaspora groups via mobile phone to facilitate payment of ransom. Even when ransom is paid it is not uncommon to find that victims are subsequently sold on to other traffickers who repeat the process. Failure to pay will result in death by torture, including through the extraction of saleable organs. New York Times (NYT) estimates that some 7,000 refugees have been abused this way in the past four years and that 4,000 of them may have died.The victims, mostly Eritrean (99 per cent), Somali and Sudanese refugees, include many Christians who have fled persecution in their homelands. Most of the victims have been kidnapped from the Shagarab refugee camps in eastern Sudan, home to tens of thousands of Eritrean refugees, and then transferred to the Sinai where they are sold to criminals. Eritrean opposition groups are demanding that Sudan improve security at the camps.
Chairman of the Ethiopia-based Eritrean Democratic Alliance (EDA), Tewelde Gebresilase, says human trafficking is carried out by a highly organised network that stretches from Eritrea to the refugee camps in Sudan and to the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt. It is a highly lucrative business, not only for the Bedouin, but for the Eritrean, Sudanese and Egyptian offici als who are involved either directly or indirectly through taking bribes. According to intelligence sources, it is a major form of revenue for the corrupt and wicked regime ruling Eritrea.
On 1 April Amnesty International (AI) released a report entitled 'EGYPT/SUDAN: refugees and asylum seekers face brutal treatment, kidnapping for ransom, and human trafficking'. (Index: AFR 04/001/2013). AI is appealing that Egypt and Sudan should 'make urgent and concerted efforts to stop asylum-seekers and refugees being kidnapped from camps in Sudan, forcibly transported to Egypt, and being severely abused in the Sinai desert'. Reporting on a typical case, AI writes, 'On 22 January 2013, two Eritrean women living in the Shagarab camps set out to go to church, but did not arrive at their destination. Camp residents believe they were kidnapped.'

Eritreans protest at UN refugee office in Cairo

Police deploy at UNHCR headquarters after brief clashes during a protest

Minor clashes break out at UNHCR in 6 October on Sunday where Eritrean refugees protested what they describe as a lack of protection and justice
A group of Eritrean refugees held a demonstration on Sunday at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in 6 October City on the outskirts of Cairo, protesting what they describe as inadequate protection and help from the UN body.
Around a hundred refugees stood outside the building in the morning, some holding banners. Although the protest was largely peaceful, tensions broke out mid-morning between the protesters and refugees of other nationalities who were angry at not being able to access UNHCR’s services.
The UN body had suspended its normal refugee reception service, saying that the protesters had blocked access to the area and impeded its work.
Tense arguments led to minor clashes, which began when a Sudanese refugee threw stones at the protesters. As a result, one Sudanese man was injured and taken away by ambulance, while one Eritrean protester was arrested by Egyptian police at the scene.
UNHCR's office was also the site of refugee protests in 2011, after services were closed down for several weeks during the 2011 uprising.
Eritrean protesters told Ahram Online on Sunday that they were protesting in frustration at a number of issues.
"UNHCR is not working according to its mandate; it’s not transparent," said a protester who declined to give his name.
"Interviews [with UNHCR to determine status and support] are delayed for months. We are left without any financial assistance. How can we survive? Refugee status determination interviews are supposed to happen after a maximum of six months [upon arrival in Egypt]. Some people have been waiting for 19 months."
Another major concern was the drop in the number of permanent resettlements outside of Egypt granted to Eritreans. "The year before last, 260 Eritreans were resettled. Then last year, only 116. We need to know why they decreased the quota," Meron, 29, told Ahram Online. “The situation for Eritreans is really desperate."
A number of protesters told Ahram Online they were victims of trafficking, kidnapped in Sudan and taken to Sinai in Egypt, where they were tortured until members of the Eritrean diaspora community sent money to ransom them.
"There is no protection from UNHCR. No one has helped us. The world knows, UNHCR knows what happens in Sinai. Every week more people arrive from there," said Gibrali, 25, who lifted up his shirt to show deep scars on his back which he said were from torture at the hands of Sinai traffickers.
"Since we came from Sinai, we are living 15, 20 people in one room. We are scared. Some of us have seen the Bedouin [traffickers] in Cairo. We told the police about one man, but they released him. We told UNHCR, but they do nothing. We need protection."
In a telephone interview with Ahram Online on Sunday,  Karmen Sakhr, senior protection officer at UNHCR, said that the organisation's deputy representative Elizabeth Tan had recently met with leaders of the Eritrean community and listened to their concerns. "If people have complaints, this is not the right way to approach the issue; not by blocking access and disturbing the workflow for others."
“We do acknowledge the problem [of trafficking in Sinai] but we also have to rely on national authorities on these issues. We stand ready to provide legal support if refugees wish to make a complaint, but we can’t prosecute traffickers ourselves. Victims have to go to the national authorities,” Sakhr told Ahram Online.

Former Eritrean freedom fighter gets to art of matter

ERITREAN artist Michael Adonai says he is obligated to tell the world of his country's situation.

In 1977, at the age of 15, Adonai joined the Eritrean People's Liberation Front.
Much of his early work centres on his experiences as a "freedom fighter".
Now a world-renowned artist, Adonai has won Eritrea's top art prize and exhibited internationally, including at a United Nations-sponsored global art show in New York.
Adonai, who lives in Werribee, is exhibiting prints of his paintings at Altona's Joel Gallery until Friday.
The originals remain in Eritrea, from where he was forced to flee in November.
"My solo exhibition was supposed to be in January at Federation Square, but the situation back home forced me to leave earlier," he says.
"I came on November 1 because there was a very bad political situation in Eritrea and someone, a head official from Eritrea, told me to leave the country to save myself.
"I didn't bring my original work because I ran away from my country because of the political situation."
Adonai says his country's culture is his favourite subject matter, but painting about politics is inescapable.
"Some of my paintings are political because I am living in a volatile area of east Africa, so it's unavoidable for me as an artist and a citizen to express my inner feelings. The situation is really deteriorating.
"We have had this deterioration in Eritrea for this past eight years. We don't have any free press, elections, no constitution. Even now in Eritrea, there are massive arrests.
"There was also an army mutiny in Eritrea these past two or three months. It was not a successful mutiny because they started to arrest a lot of people and the Eritrea area is known for its cruelty.
"Art for me, it's my life. That's my life: whether it's under this cruel Eritrean regime . . . for me, it's an obligation."
Wyndham Council has given Adonai studio space and in return he will pass on his skills.
"I have volunteered to help my community, to teach promising young artists, to share my experiences with them."

'Freedom Friday' Movement Challenges Eritrea

A new grassroots movement in Eritrea that draws inspiration from the Arab revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia

is poised to challenge the one-party authoritarian rule of Isaias Afewerki , who has been in power for more than twenty years.The Freedom Friday (Arbi Harnet) movement, started in November 2011 by the Eritrean diaspora, is finally gaining momentum inside the country according to Merom Estefanos ,a human rights activist and presenter with the France-based Radio Erena, which broadcasts in Eritrea and around the world.

In tandem with Eritrean Youth for Change (EYC) and the Eritrean Youth Solidarity for Change (EYSC), Estefanos has set up a new campaign to reverse the Arab-style call to take to the streets every Friday. Instead, it urges Eritreans to empty the streets.
"We made phone calls from diaspora to Eritrea," Estefanos told IBTimes UK. "We have a phone catalogue and called random numbers every Friday, telling them to stay at home and think about problems in our country."
Freedom Friday's coordinator in the UK Selam Kidane, also director of Release Eritrea rights group, explained that asking Eritreans to stay at home "give them an opportunity to protest without risking too much".
""Eritreans have been denied many rights and are very afraid of the government and its informants," she said. "We want to build trust among people who carry out joint protest actions."
'Go out and demonstrate'
After two years, the Freedom Friday movement has established solid roots inside Eritrea. "Now they trust us

Meron Estefanos

inside the country, we have our team in Eritrea that puts out posters and leaflets late at night," Estefanos said.
"The plan now that we have their trust is asking them to go out and demonstrate."
Kidane confirmed that support is rising inside the secretive Africa country. "The small team initially based in the diaspora is now an established project inside the country and everyone knows about it," she said.
What started as a call to Eritreans in the capital, Asmara, to vacate the streets every Friday may soon become a widespread youth protest akin to the April 6 movement in Egypt, which eventually helped topple president Hosni Mubarak.
"In our country we cannot have a revolution because every youth bitter about life is fleeing the country," she said. "In my radio programme I'm discussing that people shouldn't leave because it is not a solution. I believe the youths should fight in their country. The Egyptian revolution showed that anything was possible because there was an unhappy youth."
African North Korea
 Dubbed the North Korea of Africa, Eritrea is considered one of the continent's most opaque countries. National elections have not been held in the Horn of Africa country since it gained independence in 1993. Torture, arbitrary detention and severe restrictions on freedom of expression remain routine.
"We have a dictatorial regime, that's why people are fleeing every month," said Estefanos. "Around 3,000 people flee to Sudan every month and 1,000 to Ethiopia. We are losing the whole generation because all the youth is fleeing the country."
The mandatory military service that forces citizens to serve, on average, between the ages of 18 and 55 is one of the main causes of fleeing from the country. Advocacy group Reporters without Borders has ranked Eritrea 179^th among 179 countries on freedom of expression. Access to the country for international humanitarian and human rights organizations is almost impossible and the country has no independent media.
"Unless there is a regime change in Eritrea, things will continue like that," Estefanos said. "[Our] only target is to keep in contact with people inside the country. Now nobody doubts us anymore."

UN expert to assess human rights situation in Eritrea through neighbouring countries

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Eritrea, Beedwantee Keetharuth, today regretted that the Eritrean Government continues to deny her access to assess the situation of human rights in the country, and announced she will undertake a mission to neighbouring countries to talk to Eritrean refugees.

Ms. Beedwantee Keetharuth

“I have urged the Eritrean authorities to cooperate with my mandate, as required by the UN Human Rights Council,” Ms. Keetharuth said during the 53rd session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in Banjul, The Gambia, where she held an ad-hoc meeting with the delegation of Eritrea in the margins of the event.
“In the meantime, I will engage with all others concerned by human rights in Eritrea, including those who consider themselves to be victims of alleged human rights violations, human rights defenders and other civil society actors,” she explained. The Special Rapporteur will present her first report on the human rights situation in Eritrea to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2013.
Ms. Keetharuth welcomed a call on the Government of Eritrea to fully cooperate with international and regional mechanisms and to implement previous decisions by the African Commission, made by the NGO Forum which preceded the regional meeting. During the NGO Forum, she introduced her mandate and exchange information on the situation of human rights in Eritrea with various stakeholders.
Earlier calls by the African Commission for the release of eleven former Eritrean Government officials detained in 2001, a fair trial for 18 journalists detained without trial since 2001 and the lifting of the ban on free press have remained unanswered by the State Party to the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
From human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur heard about the Eritrean Government’s blatant disrespect for the rights and dignity of its people. They highlighted the indefinite national service, forced labour, and arbitrary and incommunicado detention of those held in more than 300 prisons throughout the country in inhumane conditions.
They also stressed the alarming living conditions in a country where most people are struggling to survive on insufficient food rations, lack access to health care and are faced with frequent shortages of electricity, water and the absence of an independent press.
All these factors were presented to the UN independent expert to explain why thousands of Eritreans deciding to leave their home county per months despite the serious risks along the routes to where they hope their human dignity will be respected.
“I reiterate my hope that the Eritrean Government would consider the mandate of the Special Rapporteur as an opportunity to start a fresh and constructive dialogue on human rights issues that have been raised by the international community and other stakeholders,” Ms. Keetharuth said, while stressing that the primary concern of the mandate is to provide an objective, fair and impartial picture of human rights in Eritrea.
The human rights expert also expressed her expectation that the Eritrean Government would view her mandate as an opportunity “to safely and in all trust, address Eritrea’s compliance with its human rights obligations as contained in international treaties to which the country is a party.”

Eritrean forces detained Yemeni fishermen and boats

The Fishery Cooperative Union, a non-governmental syndicate made up of Yemeni fisherman, said on Sunday that Eritrean forces have now detained over 200 Yemeni fishermen and confiscated over 850 boats since 2006.

One Yemeni fisherman was allegedly shot by Eritrean marine forces, according to the Fishery Wealth Ministry.

Wade’ Ata, the head of San’d Organization—another organization which works with the country’s fisheries—told the Yemen Times that fishermen undergo humiliating treatment once captured.

“They are forced to do hard labor in construction projects,” Ata said. “They are inhumanely treated. They don’t get enough food, water, medicine or sleep.”

“The Eritrean authorities have detained Yemeni fishermen in many camps on different islands, like Fatima and Dahlk islands,” Ata said.

On Saturday, this issue was raised during a session of the Yemeni Parliament.

Yahiya Al-Raei, the head of Parliament, was tasked with speaking with President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi in order to reach some sort of solution.

Given that Yemen has a 2,500 kilometer shoreline, the fishing industry is important for this country, supporting around 400,000 Yemenis and their families.

Ambassador Mohammed Al-Jaefi, the head of the African Department at the Yemeni Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the Eritrean government has only detained fisherman who have been fishing outside of national boundaries.  

Abdulla Sunbul, the deputy minister of the Fishery Wealth Ministry, said the ministry formed a committee to address the dire situation of the captured Yemeni fishermen.

The ministry released a statement last Sunday expressing its concern for the inhumane treatment of Yemeni fishermen.

The statement called on the Eritrean government to launch an  investigation into the incidents and release the Yemeni detainees immediately.